Editing Marshall Applewhite (section)

==Arrest and proselytism==
In August 1974, Applewhite was arrested in [[Harlingen, Texas]], for failing to return a car that he had rented in [[Missouri]].{{sfn|Bearak|1997}}{{sfn|''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', "Heaven's Gate: A Timeline"|1997}} He was extradited to [[St. Louis, Missouri|St.&nbsp;Louis]] and jailed for six months.{{sfn|''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', "Heaven's Gate: A Timeline"|1997}}{{sfn|Chryssides|2004|p=356}} At the time, Applewhite maintained that he had been "[[divine|divinely]] authorized" to keep the car.{{sfn|Bearak|1997}} While jailed, he pondered theology and subsequently abandoned discussion of [[occult]] topics in favor of extraterrestrials and evolution.{{sfn|Chryssides|2004|p=356}}

After Applewhite's release, Nettles and he resolved to contact extraterrestrials and began seeking like-minded followers. They published advertisements for meetings, where they recruited disciples, whom they called "crew".{{sfn|Chryssides|2004|p=356}} At these events, they purported to represent beings from another planet, the Next Level, who sought participants for an experiment. They claimed that those who agreed to take part in the experiment would be brought to a higher evolutionary level.{{sfnm|Goerman|2011|1p=60|Chryssides|2004|2p=357}} Nettles and Applewhite referred to themselves as "Guinea" and "Pig".{{sfn|Chryssides|2004|p=357}} Applewhite described his role as a "lab instructor"{{sfn|Davis|2000|p=252}} and served as the primary speaker, while Nettles occasionally interjected clarifying remarks or corrections.{{sfnm|Lifton|2000|1p=307|Balch|1995|2p=154}} The two seldom personally spoke with attendees, only taking phone numbers with which they could contact them.{{sfn|Balch|Taylor|2003|p=213}} They initially named their organization the Anonymous Sexaholics Celibate Church, but it soon became known as the Human Individual Metamorphosis.{{sfn|Chryssides|2004|pp=356–7}}

Applewhite believed in the [[ancient astronaut]] hypothesis, which claimed that extraterrestrials had visited humanity in the past and placed humans on Earth and would return to collect a select few.{{sfn|Lewis|2003|p=117}} Parts of this teaching bear similarities to the [[Reformed churches|Reformed]] Christian concept of [[Unconditional election|election]], likely owing to Applewhite's Presbyterian upbringing.{{sfn|Partridge|2006|p=53}}

Applewhite and Nettles sent advertisements to groups in [[California]] and were invited to speak to [[New Age]] devotees there in April 1975.{{sfn|''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', "Heaven's Gate: A Timeline"|1997}}{{sfnm|1a1=Bearak|1y=1997|2a1=Partridge|2y=2006|2p=51}} At this meeting, they persuaded about half of the 50 attendees to follow them.{{sfn|Zeller, ''Prophets and Protons''|2010|p=129}} They also focused on college campuses, speaking at [[Cañada College]] in August.{{sfn|Lalich, "Using the Bounded Choice Model"|2004|pp=228–9}}{{sfn|''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', "Heaven's Gate: A Timeline"|1997}} At a meeting in Waldport, Oregon in September 1975, they had further recruitment success—about 30 people left their homes to follow the pair, prompting interest from media outlets.{{sfn|Lewis|2003|p=104}} The coverage was negative; commentators and some former members mocked the group and leveled accusations of [[brainwashing]] against Applewhite and Nettles. Balch and Taylor state that Applewhite and Nettles eschewed pressure tactics, seeking only devoted followers.{{sfn|Balch|Taylor|2002|pp=213–4}}

[[Benjamin E. Zeller]], an academic who studies [[new religious movement|new religion]]s, notes that Applewhite and Nettles' teachings focused on salvation through individual growth and sees this as similar to currents in the era's New Age movement. Likewise, the importance of personal choice was also emphasized.{{sfn|Zeller|2006|pp=82–3}} Applewhite and Nettles denied connection with the New Age movement, viewing it as a human creation.{{sfn|Lalich, ''Bounded Choice''|2004|p=31}} [[Janja Lalich]], a sociologist who studies cults, attributes their recruitment success to their eclectic mix of beliefs and the way that they deviated from typical New Age teachings: discussing literal spaceships while retaining familiar language.{{sfn|Lalich, "Using the Bounded Choice Model"|2004|pp=229–31}}{{sfn|Lalich, ''Bounded Choice''|2004|p=64}} Most of their disciples were young and interested in occultism or otherwise lived outside of mainstream society.{{sfnm|1a1=Lewis|1y=2003|1p=104|2a1=Balch|2a2=Taylor|2y=2002|2p=213}} They came from a variety of religious backgrounds, including [[Eastern religion]]s and [[Scientology]].{{sfn|Lalich, "Using the Bounded Choice Model"|2004|pp=228–9}} Most were well versed in New Age teachings, allowing Applewhite and Nettles to convert them easily.{{sfn|Lewis|2003|p=118}} Applewhite thought that his followers would reach a higher level of being, changing like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly;{{sfn|Raine|2005|p=106}} this example was used in almost all of the group's early literature.{{sfn|Zeller, ''Prophets and Protons''|2010|p=125}} He contended that this would be a "biological change into a different species, casting his teachings as scientific truth in line with secular naturalism."{{sfn|Zeller, "Extraterrestrial Biblical Hermeneutics"|2010|p=41}}{{sfn|Zeller, ''Prophets and Protons''|2010|pp=117 & 122}} He emphasized to his early followers that he was not speaking metaphorically, often using the words "biology" and "chemistry" in his statements.{{sfn|Zeller, ''Prophets and Protons''|2010|pp=127 & 130}} By the mid-1970s, Applewhite attempted to avoid the use of the term "religion", seeing it as inferior to science.{{sfn|Zeller, ''Prophets and Protons''|2010|p=129}}